Forced over-the-counter switches of prescription drugs will threaten the health of America’s senior citizens, unduly encourage dangerous self-medicating by seniors, and further imperil their financial livelihood, according to a letter issued today to the FDA commissioner by the 60 Plus Association.

A new survey indicates that senior citizens may be looking in the wrong place when they ask Washington to do something about prescription drug prices. The survey of drug prices conducted by the 60 Plus Association showed price variations for generic drugs from 304% to an extraordinary 856%; and for brand-name medicines, such as Prilosec, Lipitor, Celebrex and Paxil, included in the survey, of from 53% to 175%.

The 60 Plus Association strongly opposes any amendment or bill, which would allow the reimportation of prescription drugs. Senate bill S. 7 introduced last week by Senators’ Kennedy, Breaux, Mikulski, Daschle, Murray, Dodd, Leahy and others would weaken the Social Security Act by — among other things — allowing for the reimportation of prescription drugs from Canada.

Managed care organizations are conducting an orchestrated campaign to discriminate against allergy sufferers — largely in an effort to increase their own bottom line, according to the 60 Plus Association.

The 60 Plus Association, representing over a half-million seniors, strongly opposes S. 812, sponsored by Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and John McCain (R-AZ). S. 812 seeks to make changes to the existing Hatch-Waxman Act of 1984, which created a thriving generic drug market. There now exists a well balanced market for generic as well as brand drugs, therefore this legislation is not needed and in fact is bad medicine for seniors. It reminds me of the old saying, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’

Jim Martin, President of the 60 Plus Association, endorsed Thursday’s House-passed prescription drug benefit plan, calling it “a benefit which will help seniors meet the high costs of health care.”

As President Bush noted in his State of the Union address, the economic stimulus plan is not the only unfinished business facing Washington. Congress also needs to find a way to provide Medicare recipients with prescription drug coverage. But the President was right to insist that Congress not tackle the problem in isolation, but as part of a broader effort to strengthen Medicare. We need “to give seniors a sound and modern Medicare system that includes coverage for prescription drugs,” he said — the emphasis on “sound and modern.”

The 60 Plus Association, a half million member senior citizen lobbying group, today called a new Pfizer prescription drug program to be offered at low cost to the 7 million seniors most in need a major step toward solving America’s prescription drug problem.

Currently 295,727 American seniors enjoy Medicare health plans called “cost contracts.” Under legislation introduced in the Senate, seniors will be able to continue utilizing these valued health plans.

James L. Martin, President of the 60 Plus Association, hailed President George W. Bush’s prescription drug benefit proposal “as fulfilling a campaign promise that senior citizens will receive a benefit which will help them meet the high costs of prescription drugs.